Conventional golf balls have primarily two functional components: the inner core and the cover. The primary purpose of the inner core is to be the “spring” of the ball or the principal source of resiliency, and the inner core may be either solid or wound. The primary purpose of the cover is to protect the inner core. Multi-layer solid balls include multi-layer inner core constructions, multi-layer cover constructions, or combinations thereof. In a golf ball with a multi-layer inner core, the principal source of resiliency is the multi-layer inner core. In a golf ball with a multi-layer cover, the principal source of resiliency is the single-layer inner core.
Two-layer solid balls are made with a single-solid inner core, typically a cross-linked polybutadiene or other rubber, encased by a hard cover material. Increasing the cross-link density of the inner core material can increase the resiliency of the inner core. As the resiliency increases, however, the compression may also increase making the ball stiffer, thereby increasing driver spin rates. In an effort to make golf balls with improved performance characteristics, manufacturers have used thermoplastics in various layers in multi-layer golf balls. Some thermoplastic materials have a low flexural modulus, such that layers formed therefrom produce golf balls with driver spin rates at higher than desirable levels. Such high spin rates, although allowing a more skilled player to maximize control of the golf ball, can also cause golf balls to have severely parabolic trajectories and do not achieve sufficient distance. Thus, manufacturers often try to strike a balance between spin rate and distance. By adding fillers in thermoplastic layers, the flexural modulus or stiffness of such layers increases, so that the golf balls produced have lower spin rates and can achieve greater distances. However, a need still exists for a golf ball with a filled thermoplastic layer that strike a balance between high flexural modulus (for lower driver spin) and the amount of fillers required to achieve such modulus.
The spin rate of golf balls is the end result of many variables, one of which is the distribution of the density or specific gravity within the ball. Spin rate is an important characteristic of golf balls for both skilled and recreational golfers. High spin rate allows the more skilled players, such as PGA professionals and low handicapped players, to maximize control of the golf ball. A high spin rate golf ball is advantageous for an approach shot to the green. The ability to produce and control back spin to stop the ball on the green and side spin to draw or fade the ball substantially improves a player's control over the ball. Hence, the more skilled players generally prefer a golf ball that exhibits high spin rate, in part, off scoring irons, such as the 7-iron club through the pitching wedge.
On the other hand, the recreational players who cannot intentionally control the spin of the ball generally do not prefer a high spin rate golf ball. For these players, slicing and hooking the ball are the more immediate obstacles. When a club head strikes a ball improperly, an unintentional side spin is often imparted to the ball, which sends the ball off its intended course. The side spin reduces a player's control over the ball, as well as the direct-line distance the ball will travel. A golf ball that spins less tends not to drift off-line erratically if the ball is not hit squarely with the club face. A low spin ball will not cure the hook or slice, but will reduce the adverse effects of the side spin. Hence, recreational players typically prefer a golf ball that exhibits low spin rate.
Varying materials or reallocating the density or specific gravity of the various layers of a golf ball provides an important means of controlling the spin rate. In some instances, the weight from the outer portions of the ball is redistributed toward the center to decrease the moment of inertia, thereby increasing the spin rate. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,964 discloses a golf ball with a reduced moment of inertia having an inner core with specific gravity of at least 1.50 and a diameter of less than 32 mm and an intermediate layer of lower specific gravity between the inner core and the cover. U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,126 discloses a ball with a dense inner core having a specific gravity of at least 1.25 encapsulated by a lower density syntactic foam composition. U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,838 discloses another golf ball with a dense inner core having a diameter in the range of 15–25 mm with a specific gravity of 1.2 to 4.0 and an outer layer with a specific gravity of 0.1 to 3.0 less than the specific gravity of the inner core. U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,285 discloses another golf ball with reduced moment of inertia by reducing the specific gravity of an outer inner core to 0.2 to 1.0.
In other instances, the weight from the inner portion of the ball is redistributed outward to increase the moment of inertia, thereby decreasing the spin rate. U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,393 discloses a golf ball with a hollow inner layer with one or more resilient outer layers, thereby giving the ball a soft inner core, and a hard cover. U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,887 discloses an increased moment of inertia golf ball comprising one or more layer layers made from metals, ceramic or composite materials, and a polymeric spherical substrate disposed inwardly from the layer layers.
The redistribution of weight within the golf ball is typically accomplished by adding fillers to the inner core or to an outer layer of the golf ball. Conventional fillers include the high specific gravity fillers, such as metal or metal alloy powders, metal oxide, metal searates, particulates, carbonaceous materials, or low specific gravity fillers, such as hollow spheres, microspheres or foamed particles. However, the addition of fillers may adversely interfere with the inherent resiliency of the polymers used in golf balls and thereby the coefficient of restitution of the golf balls. Hence, there remains a need in the art for a golf ball that has a large inner core substantially free from fillers with high resiliency and a controlled moment of inertia.